Two pornography performers have tested positive for HIV. As a result, the largest producer of adult movies is suspending all filming for 60 days. Not all porn producers intend to follow suit, however. This LA Times (via Yahoo news) story provides details.

To my mind, this sad story nevertheless reflects the benefits of a legal (and regulated, though largely self-regulated) vice relative to one that is criminalized. Actors working in mainstream porn typically take regular tests for HIV. When the positive tests in today's news were revealed, mitigating actions (such as publicizing the test results and "quarantining" those who had performed with the HIV-positive actors since their last negative test) immediately began to be implemented. Alternatively, where prostitution is illegal, there typically is no system of regularized STD testing, and HIV positive prostitutes might work for many months without even knowing of their condition.